If you want to know how Ronda Rousey lost to Holly Holm Saturday night, all you have to do is look at her face. Holm, a champion boxer, managed to turn the fight into a slugfest and refused to let Rousey dictate the tempo.
Rousey’s coach, Edmond Tarverdyan, didn’t see it that way.
Believe it or not, Tarverdyan did not believe Holm dominated Rousey in the striking game.
“I wouldn’t say in the striking game she was getting the best of Ronda, you know, but I have to watch it again,” he told ESPN after the fight. “But we know this was not a striking match; we know that Ronda is smart enough to take the fight where she is best at and today she did. Holly stopped an attempt on an armbar and stopped some of the takedowns. She did a good job.”
Hmmm…
Rousey tried to trade punches with Holm, and it cost her the championship belt. You can read a fantastic breakdown of why Holm was able to beat Rousey here. Tarverdyan went on to explain the game plan he put in place for Rousey, which wasn’t very good.
“The game plan was pressing,” he said. “We knew Holm was going to keep the distance. So we had to feint and get inside and pressure the right way so we can get on the side of the cage. And we’ve talked about that and Holly Holm did a good job with moving today and stayed calm.”
Rousey eerily predicted last month how Holm would beat her, but she still seemed unprepared. If you haven’t seen the video of the knockout, you can watch it here.
Now that Rousey has lost a fight, many feel she should fire Tarverdyan. According to MMA Fighting’s Marc Raimondi, Rousey didn’t even do any sparring leading up to her fight with Holm.
@GrabakaHitman @davidbix @Sugarhigh5me @SBNLukeThomas She doesn’t do any MMA sparring, per Edmond.
— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) November 16, 2015
Perhaps Rousey’s mother was onto something several weeks ago when she trashed Tarverdyan. If he truly believes Rousey didn’t lose to Holm in the striking game, you have to wonder how Ronda is still employing him.
H/T Wrestling Inc
